Passage

Deuteronomy 5:1-4

Why does Moses address the Horeb covenant as binding on the people now listening?

Berean Standard Bible

1 Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I declare in your hearing this day. Learn them and observe them carefully. 2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 He did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The LORD spoke with you face to face out of the fire on the mountain.

What is the context?

Moses summons Israel to hear, learn, and carefully observe the statutes. He speaks of the covenant at Horeb as made with the people now alive before him, rather than treating it as a concern belonging only to their ancestors.

The description of speaking face to face emphasizes the direct encounter with the Lord at the mountain. It must be read alongside the earlier statement that they heard His voice without seeing a form. The new generation is being addressed as part of the people who received the covenant.

How is this passage commonly understood?

Wesley explains that the covenant included those present through their parents, as well as surviving hearers. The USCCB notes emphasize its ongoing force for Israel in Moab. Both readings explain why Moses can address the present people without asserting that every adult at Horeb is still alive.

What is our position?

We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.

Where can I study this further?

No deeper study linked yet.

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